The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining

The untold stories behind Chicago's globally celebrated culinary scene—from revolutionary chefs to kitchen disasters to public uproars to Michelin stars, told by the cooks, servers, restaurateurs, critics, dreamers, and rebels who built America's most fearless food city.

Whether serious destination diners, weekend visitors, or fans of The Bear, everyone knows Chicago has long outgrown its mid—twentieth—century reputation as a steak—and—potatoes town. The last fifty years have seen it explode into world prominence as one of America’s best places to eat—and ground zero of some of America’s greatest cooking. When Michelin first started awarding stars in the United States, they selected Chicago as one of the first cities so recognized. But the story of this ascendency—and of nationally famed chefs like Rick Bayless, Charlie Trotter, Grant Achatz, Stephanie Izard, and many others—has never been fully revealed in all its messy, dramatic, high—energy glory.

The Chicago Way traces Chicago’s growth as a dining capital over the past fifty—plus years through an oral history made up of the voices of those who led, drove, and otherwise took part in that transformation. Readers will learn how the city’s diners (and millions of happily sated visitors) grew to love new and more adventurous ways of eating, from hot dogs with foie gras to molecular gastronomy. These first—person accounts show how restaurants played a key role in transforming the city’s culture, creating hot new neighborhoods—before sometimes getting priced out of them—and driving economic growth not just downtown, but increasingly into its kaleidoscopically diverse neighborhoods. 

This is a dynamic plunge into the chaos and glory of the restaurant world, charged with the unfiltered voices of the men and women who helped make Chicago’s food culture what it is today. Focusing on real estate, finance, and economics as well as food and creativity, these insider accounts together tell a powerful story about the essential influence of Chicago chefs and restaurants on contemporary American cuisine that will appeal to everyone interested in food, restaurants, and dining.

James Beard Award–winning Michael Gebert has written for decades about hundreds of Chicago food figures from every background, and in The Chicago Way, he includes contributions from national celebrities such as Top Chef winners Stephanie Izard and Joe Flamm, Alinea chef Grant Achatz, and Michelin—starred chef and author Lane Regan, among many other notables. His vast network and deep knowledge are reflected in the scores of both famed and unsung food professionals included here, arrayed into a narrative mosaic that reveals the stories behind the story of Chicago’s greatest, most important, and most memorable places to eat food.